Starting a new journey in your nurse practitioner career under the guidance of a preceptor? While this experience is a mandatory part of your education, it’s also an opportunity to get wisdom firsthand from a seasoned professional who was once in your shoes. Here, we highlight some of the most valuable mindsets, philosophies, and skills you can glean from your preceptorship.
Time management is the secret to avoiding burnout
As a new NP, the fast-paced culture of clinical work environments can be overwhelming. There never seems to be enough time in the day to get it all done, but seasoned staff members can still provide top-notch care without taking work home with them. Odds are, your preceptor learned from trial and error how to properly prioritize tasks and budget time.
Observe how they structure visits, and what steps they take to make the most of each appointment and ensure all patient questions and concerns are addressed. How much time do they set aside for charting? What about answering emails and returning phone calls? It can be valuable to mirror your preceptor’s day-to-day work routine when developing yours.
Related: Family NP Pharmacology Package
Bedside manner isn’t just a common courtesy—it’s imperative to healing
Having the ability to connect on a human level with patients of diverse backgrounds is one of the core skills all healthcare providers should possess. To improve patient outcomes, an NP must know how to explain diagnoses, treatment options, and root causes of illness in plain language that people of all educational levels can understand. A review of 7 million patient reviews by Healthgrades and MGMA found over half of patients prioritize bedside manner in their doctors, meaning strong interpersonal skill was directly correlated with greater satisfaction.
Pay attention to the ways your preceptor greets and builds rapport with patients. Take note of the language they use when delivering bad news, whether it be directly to the patient or to their family. Empathy is a core tenet of medicine—and a preceptor can teach you how to connect with people in a compassionate yet professional manner.
Knowing how to navigate healthcare systems raises quality of care
You may have mastered the clinical aspects of your new role, but you’ll learn quickly that those skills are just a small part of what an NP position entails. There are plenty of administrative tasks healthcare professionals oversee, including referrals, insurance, billing, and documentation. These complex systems can be just as frustrating for patients as they are for providers, and a good clinician can deliver even better care when they know how to navigate them efficiently.
A good preceptor can give you in-depth demos on how to communicate with insurance companies and healthcare leadership. You’ll see real world examples of the many obstacles patients face when seeking care, and over time you’ll learn how experienced staff deal with insurance carriers who are reluctant to pay for necessary treatments and procedures. Your number one job is to be an advocate for your patient, and your preceptorship is the perfect opportunity to learn how.
Related: Building Diagnostic Confidence for New to Practice NPs
Healthy boundaries lead to healthier patients
With experience, you will learn to strike the balance between being personable and professional. The quickest way to get there is by paying mind to how your preceptor communicates with patients and sets boundaries. Listen and learn how they explain the scope of their practice, gather consent, and build relationships with patients without making interactions too personal.
Boundary building also goes both ways—a preceptor can help you learn what you are personally comfortable or not comfortable with in clinical environments. Seek mentorship or supervision from your preceptor if you’re unsure whether a boundary line is being tested. This can help prevent implicit bias and compassion fatigue, and foster healthy work/life balance.